Game apparatus.



- PATBN'TED Mum-1903; J

C. TANRON.

GAME APPARATUS. AAAAAAA TIONIIILED JULY 31, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

p No. 728,327.

UNITED STATES Patented May 19, v190e.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES TANRON, oFsANFRANcIsoo, CALIFORNIA.

"-5"'GAMEHAPPARATusp SPECIFIGATION'formingpart of Letters `l'ateznt No; 728,327, dated May 19, 1903.

l Application tiled J'uly 31, 1902. Serial No. 117,837. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.:

Be it known thatI, CHARLES TANRON, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of

which the following is a specication. y Thisinvention is a multiple game device by the use of which every imaginable game can be represented and played and in which fraudulent manipulation is impossible. Although every known and possible game of chance or otherwise can be played with this invention, it is especially devised for domestic y or parlor use and for playing innocent games I of chance, and it is particularly adapted to playing historical, geographical, scientific, and other games of educational purport.

The. accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts in the several figures, are integral herewith asa medium of illustration. 4

Figure lis aplan ofthe vpreferred form of my said invention, illustratingfits essentialv features. Fig. 2 is adiametral section of the apparatus showninFig. l lookingtoward the top of the sheet. Fig. 3` is a plan of a type of electric motor thatl prefer toemploy with this form of the apparatus. r i

As may easily be inferred from the draw ings my games are disposed around-the .in.l ner walls or galleries and also on ,top thereofA` when expedient of an amphitheater-likecircular inclosure and are played bymarbles orv balls centrif u gall y propelled toward the Walls closure or arena.

By referring tothe said drawings it will be seen that my invention consists of a central arena, floor, or platform A, surrounded or inclosed by an upwardly-extending circularl ange, projection, or barrier B, upon or -lpelled marbles.

against which certain games are represented; one or more vertically-disposed annular rims C, bearing representations of other games on their .inner faces to aord a choiceof several games for a desirable variety, and which rim or rims C constitute, with the said flange, projection, or barrier B, what is herein termed the amphitheater; a centrifugating bat or discharger D, disposed at the center of the arena for propelling marbles or balls E promiscuously throughout the arena andtoward and against the base of the said amphitheater, which marbles or balls E performthe executing, indicating, and registering functions in each game; a moat or groove F, subdivided into a suitable number of sections orfaseries of pockets for lthe reception and holding of marbles or balls lodged therein, and means, such as a motor G, for revolving'the aforesaid bat or discharger D.

The arena A inclines'from the amphitheater radially toward the discharger D, forming a; concave surface for the purpose of imparting a centripetal tendency to all balls E, that andevery ball has been lodgedina pocket,

`at] which time and not till then the result of thegame. is fully known. The; incline or .pitch of this arena i's-justsuftlcientito `cause :the balls to gravitatetowardand againstthe `discharger--say onehalf inchima foot., I find, howevel'by actual pxperiment'tha't a :tive-eighth-,inch incline in atwenty-i'nch arena works-admirably well; otherwise the arena jismade perfectly even and smooth, so as to :offerzno impediment to the'proper radiation .'offthe balls to the circumferentially-disposed Vpockets/iF, unless, of course, in cases of certain military, naval, or hall, field, or'lawn contests', where men, ships, ninepins, or other dummies, represented as participants in the assumed contest, pose as targets for the pro- The pocketsor sections of Y the groove or moat F are part of the arena and are regularly disposed and radially positioned at or near its outer or peripheral limits.

The amphitheater, as before stated, comprises the circular barrier or wall B and one, two, or a series of rims or rings C, which may have not been lodged inlpockets F to return -to contact with the revolving discharger and be thereby again and again propelled up the .incline towardthe'amphitheater until each' xooV date each respective game.

be vertical or slanting terraces. Preferably on the inside of this amphitheater each game is or different games are disposed. Only one form of rim C is illustrated herein, and the same simply consists of a metal band or hoop bent over at the top and bottom, as seen in Fig. 2, so as to be capable of receiving and holding cards or other game representations and presenting their faces toward the arena. These rims are made to fit snugly within the inner face of the barrier B and are removable for convenience in interchanging them or exposing the barrier itself to view to vary the game or games. If desired, they may be bent horizontally and circumferentially outward, so as to flange over and cover the top of the barrier B for the purpose of furnishing horizontal views of the games represented on their inner vertical faces. This horizontal disposition of the games I have represented on the barrier B by various cross-lining on the top thereof, which, like theinner face of the barrier, is divided into radiallydisposed sections. These sections may be simply the prismatic or other disposition of colors or variegations thereof, or they may be serially-arranged nu mbers, as suggested, near the circumference of the arena in Fig. 1, such coloring or numerals to represent for cheap constructions the divers phases or conditions of the respective game or of groups of games. It is to be understood that there is to be no limit to the number of radial sections or subdivisions ofthe moat F, barrier B, and rim or rims O and that no two rims need be similarly divided. I have shown thirty-six of these subdivisions in Fig. l as suggestive of sundry games that comprise about that number of parts or points or multiples or submultiples thereof. Moreover, in any case as many blank subdivisions as desirable may be interposed, so as to make up the number of odd or unnecessary subdivisions in particular cases. The subdividing of the moat into sections or pockets is conveniently effected by verticallydisposed plates or partitions l-I, abutting against the inner face of the rim C or barrier B and disposed toward the arena radially, as indicated in Figs. l and 2.

The annular spaces marked J, K, and L, respectively, are (as may be seen in section in Fig. 2) but unessential parts of the apparatus, of which J is the outer bank of the moat or pockets F and is otherwise a continuation of the arena A, While K and L constitute a base or outer molding of the barrier B and simply affect the design of the barrier, which of course may be indenitely varied.

I have shown aline of blocks or men M circularly disposed around the arena and near its outer circumference. These are suggestive of ninepins or of military, naval, or other contestant representatives of war, eld, lawn, parlor, or other like games, and of course may be illimitably varied in forms, numbers, and positions to better represent and accommo- The apparatus,

as illustrated, includes twelve of these ninepin-like blocks M, one of which, M', toward the right, in each Figs. 1 and 2, is represented as if knocked down by a ball E', which ball is shown lodged into an adjacent pocket numbered 5 at that part of the arena. I have represented the men or blocks M aspivoted each to a removable pin N, which prevents thei-r rolling down the arena when prostrated and which pin is adapted to be inserted into any one of a number of small holes that I provide in the arena for the purpose or that may be subsequently bored therein for the convenience of properly disposing the said men M as desired, so as to best display the ensuing contest.

The marbles E are shown six in number, one of which, E, as before seen, is within a pocket at the right hand of the arena, and the remaining five are grouped around the discharger I) at the center of the arena. These marbles may be called bullets, can'- non-balls, base-balls, foot-balls, bilhard-balls, @cricket-balls, tennis-balls, lacrosse-balls, tallying-balls, dac., according to the nature of the game to be played or contest to be decided. If the game should be astronomical or astrological in nature or be some horoscopical system of telling fortunes, then each ball, of course, could be named, mentally or otherwise, after some star or constellation or as each particular case may suggest in order to impart a realism to the game. I place no limit on the number, size, or composition of the balls or marbles to be used; but for ordinary use glass alleys or ivory or Celluloid balls of about that size answer the various purposes to perfection. Of course the marbles should be perfectly round to do good Work. The balls or marbles may be of any color; but I prefer to produce them in different colors, so that each color may conveniently be listed for certain games to represent any desired name or personality, especially in such cases where the complete features of the game are not fully represented on the particular ring or terrace C or the barrier or Wall B of the amphitheater. I intend that a manual of games, rules, and instructions shall accompany each apparatus.

The discharger D, I prefer to make square in plan design, with sides straight or concave, although slightly convex also answer quite well. In elevation or vertical aspect I prefer the discharger to be prismatic and not pyramidal. The perpendicular dischargingfaces may be straight or curved. However, for military, naval, and ball contests the form of a regular prism-frustum does admirably well, since it tends to impart to the balls an aerial night, and for ordinary games an inverted frustum also works well. I have shown, however, a square prism with rectangular faces, which for general purposes is my preferred form. The discharger D acts by rapidly revolving either to the right or left, so that its faces or their corners shall strike IOO IIO

and propel up against the amphitheatre the marbles or balls that are placed against it or that gravitate to the center by their centripetal tendency, due to the above-explained declination of the arena toward its center, at which point, as seen, the dischargerk is dis-` game tobe played, such 'as bat,. "gun,v

cannon, citadel, battery, crosse, dispensendealer,andsoon. Asshown, the discharger is mounted up`on the upper end of a vertically-disposed arbor P, Fig. 2, which arbor passes through the center of the base-board of the'arena'and is rigidly connected with the shaft of the motor G thereunder. p e

Iclairn nothing for the motor or means of rotating the discharger D, since, as before mentioned,.I employ any suitable actuating device consistent with the extent of each particular apparatus. herein marked G is one of the ordinary dry or carbon battery type. I have represented it as inclosed within a case or box Q, that is screwed or bolted centrally against the under surface of the base-board of the arena or i'loor The motor shown andv A, and remote from this case Q Ihave shown supports R for propping up the apparatus, so

that' the bottom of the case shall be free from the table oreplane upouwhich the said apparatus is placed, as wellas to provide the convenience of legs therefor. The motor that I prefer to employ is one of known form,

ing the dischargervand Astopped by'simply touching the top of thedischarger. I claimn d.

p 1. A game apparatuscomprising an arena 4- which can be put in motion by merely -turnupwardly inclined from its'` center to itspe'-y p riphery, a wallorbarrier therearound,'an' internal moat followingnthebase of the saidf wall or'barrier,means vfor.subdividing' said v ynnoat into suitable sections or pockets," and a central ball-dischargerin the arena;l stantially'as described, i f

2.' A game apparatus comprising,anl arena provided'with a lseries of pocketsand fjobjec` tive devices arranged around the center thereof, and a balldischarger at said' center,' said l, arena inclining from'said'center upwardly in e ,y s

lalltdirections.

In testimony whereof I have 'signed my i .y

name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. CHARLES 'IAI\T-ROI\I.A

Witnesses: n 1 V A. H. STE. MARIE,

HENRY P. TRiooU. i 

